Can sugar make you less intelligent?

Simply put: too much sugar can make you stupid. Recent research suggests that careless consumption of fructose can affect both thinking and evocative memory - your ability to 'remember things'. The conclusion follows a laboratory study comparing corn syrup - six times “sweeter” than cane sugar ”- to omega-3 fatty acids, known to aid memory and learning.

The experiment took two groups of mice: one fed a diet of sugars, the other healthy. During the study, recently published in the Journal of Physiology, researchers at the University of California meant that both groups had to go through a maze with markings so they could learn the way.

Six weeks later, after dieting, the rats were again subjected to the maze to test their ability to recall the correct course. As project co-author Fernando Gomez-Pinilla told the Dailymail Web site, the sugar-only group of mice was considerably slower, with obvious brain decline.

"A high-fructose diet alters, over time, your brain's ability to learn and recall information." The good news? Nuts and fish (such as salmon) can prevent collective stupidity. “Adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can minimize damage, ” said Gomez-Pinilla, noting that the conclusion is not true for fructose naturally found in fruits, which contain “valuable antioxidants”.

Source: Dailymail